Coupon-book.



H. F. RAWLL.

COUPON BOOK. APPLICATION FILED1UNE12.1918.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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ation RECBUE from The LIBERTY LOAN ASSOCIATlON of BANKS und TRUST COMPANIES OFNEWYJRKC Dnfe SIGNATURE Sar .s n

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H F. RAWLL.

COUPON BOOK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l2. 1918V 1,282,627., Patented O v .mi

an sans narrar HERBERT F. RAWLL, OF SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNGR T0 CHRISTMAS CLUB, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COUPON-1309K.

Speciicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Cot. 22, ilt'll.

application mea June 12, 191s. ,serial no. 239,641.

To all whom t may concern.'-

Be it known that I, HERBERT F.I RAWLL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Short Hills, in the` county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have made certain new and useful Improvements inlCoupon-Books,

' of which the vfollowing is a specification.'

My invention relates to a coupon'book lparticularly adapted for use in connection methods applicable to a ycentralized system` in which provision is made for payment of any part or parts ofany subscription by any subscriber at a number of depositories, all connected by the system to a central organizatiomoce, or'clearing house; and the invention consists 1n a coupon book de'- signed to facilitate the operation of such Ia centralized system, as will more' clearly appear in the following specication, reference being made to the claims for identification of the novel elements and combinations involved.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates in' perspective a coupon book embodying the invention, and such as was used by associations `of banks in the recent Third Liberty Loan.

Fig. 2 is a'lperspective view ofthe same, with the front cover openand showing the printing of regulations on the rear of said cover and 'the form and printing of the sheet, (here forming the rst 4sheet of the coupon book,but not necessarily so placed), which I for convenience will designate the purchase agreement sheet, although it has a .number of functions 'in the operation of this centralized system which will be presently described.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the rear of this purchase agreement sheet and the first of a series .of stubs and attached couponscharacteristic of systems employed in the Christmas club and like fractional payment plans. v

, Fig. 4.- is a similar view, showing the rear of the last stub and coupon of the series,

and the first of a supplemental mailing-die rection sheet.

Fig. 5 is a like View, illustrating a supplemental sheet, (which may be the irst of a series of supplemental sheets), giving a list of the agencies or depositories forming part of the system and at any one of which payments may be made; also illustrating the front of the rear cover of the coupon book, giving a list of fractional payments to be made, together with the dates when due, etc. v

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the coupon book, looking at the rear of the back cover.

ln the operation of subscription and savings plans involving the payment by a number of persons at one place and at like times yof equal parts or instalments or fractions of a total or unit Obligation or amount, la method commonly used is to furnish to each subscriber or customer at the time of opening the account or beginning of the transaction, a coupon book, usually having a cover or partial cover on which for convenience may be printed the regulations or a description of the method. rlhese systems have, as indicated, been applied to cases where all the payments were to be made by all the subscribers to a single depository, such as a bank receiving Christmas. club deposits. Y

'lhese methods and coupon books have not been, ybefore the present invention, applicable, without modification or addition, to use in obtaining the subscriptions or deposit agreements, and. maintaining a complete and accurate account of the transactions in extremely extended operations, such as that of the recent Third Liberty Loan, in which a large number of subscribers were to be provided with a plan, and means* for carrying out that plan, of starting their accounts at any one of a large number of agencies, maintaining the subscription by payment at allotted times of fractional parts of the obligation at any one of a number of agencies, keeping a complete account of each transaction in such manner as to protect the subscriber, the payee of' individual amounts, the organization controlling the associationof agencies, and the individual or' corporation. for example the United States Treasury Departmenulwhich issues the bond or obligation being subscribedfor; and also providing for the due delivery of said bond or obligation, and taking receipt therefor, and the checking up of all of thetransactions at all of the esy accounting, such simple bookkeeping as is necessary being'` performedby the central agency or headquarters of the association of depositories 4or the local agency of the bond obligor, 4for example the UnitedV States Treasury.

. L4The main body of 4thecoupon book which -is employed is', or may be, similar to that employed in Christmas club and other partial ayment savings'plans, and is illustrated in ig. 3, l being the first of a series of sheets bound together in book form and each comprising a coupon 1I1 of af stub portion 1" Joined by a perforated or otherwise weakened line 2. The coupon may bear the account number, for example 227, which identifies this particular book with its owner when taken in connection with the items recorded at the time of subscription for the book or bond. The coupons are also numbered con secutively from 1 up, for instance from 1 to 48. The coupon also has printed upon itan amount, for example $1.00, which may be alike on all coupons in one book or may vary in di'erent coupons of the book acoording to the plan of payment adopted, and

usually this printing of .the 'amount is ac companied by a legend such as Jredit aci count numbered below, to indicate that this amount, when the system is properly followed, is to be credited to the account whose number appears upon the same coupon. A blank space may be provided on .the coupon for receiving the imprint of the stamp of a payee, or thls stamp maybe applied dlrectly over the printing upon the coupon.

The stub may have like or corresponding printed matter identifying it with the cou pon,attached t0 it as to amount of payment, account number and coupon serial number,

' or any of these identication marks; or it maybe entirely blank, or it. may, as shown,

have' inconnection with a blank space for the inprinting of the receipt stamp. of a payee, words indicating that the applying of such stamp is evidence of receipt of the amount stated on the coupon, as for example lthe words When stamped-and dated by' a duly authorized agent in accordance with the A rules and regulations printed in this book,.

this stamp constitutes ay receipt for the amount printed in the attached coupon. v

This .partof the book does not, separately' considered, ,constitute my invention, and may be varied as desired, so long as it retains such of the elements as above described, as .fit it forA coperation with a centralized system to which my invention particularlyv relates.y

There is also associated with this coupon` bookatable showing the amounts to be paid resaca? from time to time, the dates of such payment, usually alsothe total of deposits to date, and the grand total, as appears at3, Fig. 5, where the table is shown printed onv the inside ofl the back cover of the book. The cover of the book may have the general directions and other matter printed upon the front page, (4, Fig. 1), and upon thelast page, (5, Fig. 6), and on the inside of the front cover may be printed the'regulations, as 'indicated at 7, Fig. 2.

Bound in the book, preferably between the front cover and the first coupon sheet 1, is the purchase agreement sheet 8, comprising a stub portion 9 and a removable section or' ',coupons; The stub to which this purchase agreement card is attached is printed to indicate that when the card is detached the stub constitutes a receipt for the initial instalment of the purchase pri`ce of the bond being purchased, or the initial amount of deposit 4out ofthe total agreed upon. The back of the card is preferably printed with a receipt to be signed by the purchaser or deposit, acknowledging 'the receipt by him of the bond or amount contracted for, as shown at 12, Fig. 3.-

i Preferably also there is provided a supplev mental insert card or sheet, 13, Fig. 4:, in rear of the set of coupons and at the back of the b ook, which has printed upon it directions for delivery of the bond or amount agreed upon otherwise than by direct persontl delivery, as for example by registered mal f l There is also provided in the book, prefer- .ably` by inserting at the-end of the book inside of the back cover, one or a series of supplelnental sheets, a list, such as is indicated `a distribution as possible, a central committee of headquarters is established for eachvcity or section, for example the Liberty Loan Association of New York City, being anorganization o f all the agencies in .the section agreeing to operate in accordance Upon resaca? with this plan andhaving direct-relation withthe Treasury or its agent. This association establishes headquarters for taking care of the accounts and issues thecoupon books of the required denominations to its members, and also `in this case Ito the .Gov-

ernment agencies authorized to receive sub-` book-on sheet or sheets 14.

When a subscriber to a bond, for example a $50.00 bond, goes to one-of these agencies, the agency having' selected ya coupon of the proper denomination, secures the signature of the subscriber to the purchase agreement card which upon being'dated is torn o ut' of the book and the book delivered to the subscriber, the subscriber at the same time pay ing the-initial deposittof, in'this case, $2.00.

rlhe purchase agreement card may be, but usually is not, stamped by the receiving agency and is mailed by it to the headquarters of the association together with other like cards lifted-during the course of the day, coupons representing other payments received, and a check or other remittance for the amount represented .by

of delivery which stamp may be upon any. 'portion of the cover, but this is not usual or necessary.

1n the plan of operation which has been followed in practice, a large number of soliciting agents, additional to those listed in the book, have been employed for securing subscriptions, these mere soliciting agents function being completed when the formalities of subscription, initial payment'and ldelivery` of the book are completed, and all subsequent transactions take place with the officially .named agenciesdisted on thebook. f The purchase agreement sheet, when properly lled out, thev card severed and delivered to headquarters, :has a number of a receipt to the subscrberfor ythe initial payment. The card containsv the subscription contract and ythe.sigr'latu're of the sub-v scriber thereto.v 1t, indicates thev account wherebyall future paymentsl may be properly identified, -as the corresponding 'coupons' come in, "to headquarters.' 1t af- 'fords' `a receipt. ior the first payment and has printed upon the back, as at12, Fig. 3, theY the subscriber whenv the bond is .finally .de-

livered to him on the completion ofthe transaction. 1t will be seen that when issued by a local agency and delivered to orm of receipt which istobe signed by-4 operates as a notice from the subscriber tol the central association that 'the book of a specific account number has been contracted for and therefore serves as the starting point for the future account.

The account having' been started, as above indicated the subscriber from time to time, as instructed by the table of payments, (indicated at 3, Fig. 5), makes payment of the amount called for by successive coupons at any one of the agencies specified .inthe list printed on sheet or sheets 14, the receiving agency in each case stamping the coupon and its stub, as indicated at 1544.51, Fig. 3, with vthe place and date of payment and the word Paid, or word 0r words of like import. The Vplace of payment is conveniently given by indicating merely the number of the agency, of the loan association receiving the payment, for example, Liberty Loan Association, New York City, 83,-the number indicating the name and location of the agency as shown in the list of agencies given in the supplemental sheets.

The coupon is. then severed and retained by` Vthe agency to be delivered with all amounts, coupons, and cards received during the day, to headquarters, and the book" bearing upon its stub evidence of this last payment, is returned to the subscriber. This process iscontinued as long as the subscriber continues to make the payments or until the agreement is completely ullled, where# upon the subscriber, in return for the execution of the receipt, (12, Fig. 3), or authorin zation, (13, Fig. et), or both', receives vdelivery of the bond contracted for and the transaction is completed. v

' lhe central agency or headquarters, by asicc sociating the coupons received from time to time with the proper account number and with the amounts received from-the various f example the United States Treasury, is put functions. 'Ehe stub, as above stated, forms ciation when issued to it.

l claim: l 1. A coupon book for use in a centralized system of artialpayment subscriptions havin a series of. sheets,`each havinglmeans of indicating the amount of a single partial payment, and each being adapted to receivea validating mark whereupon it becomes Ia receipt` for the payment calledfor thereon, a purchase agreement sheet shovving the terms of agreement having a place for signature of the subscriber, being detachable from 2. A coupon book for use in a centralized system of partial payment subscriptions, having a series of sheets, each formed with a stub and a detachable coupon, each cou pon having means of indicating the book or account number and the amount of a single partial payment, and each stub being adapted to receive avalidating mark whereupon it becomes a receipt forv the payment called for by the corresponding coupon,"a purchase agreement sheet showin the terms of acreement, 'having a place or signature oi:P the subscriber, bein detachable from said book and marked toi entify it with said book and coupons, said book containing information vas to the agencies at which payments may be made.

resaca? 3. A coupon book according to claim 1 in Which the purchase agreement sheet is provided With a stub serving as a receipt for the amount of the initial payment.

4. A coupon book according to claim l in Which the purchase agreement sheet is provided With a receipt for the bond or amount, the delivery of which completes the transaction.

5. A coupon book for use in a centralized system of partial payment subscriptions, having a series of sheets, each yformed with a stub and a detachable coupon, each coupon having means of indicating the book or account number and the amount of a single' partial payment, each stub being adapted to receive a validating mark whereupon it `becomes a receipt for the payment called for by the corresponding coupon, one of said coupons containing in addition the terms of agreement, having a place for signature of the subscriber, being detachable from said book and marked to identify it with said book and coupons. f

HERBERT F. RWLL, 

